Android Lacks Focus, and It's a Problem, PC mag article TOPIC OPTIONS

[Blackstar]

My Android is as it came in the box and it does everything at least as well as my friend's iPhone 4...which was the current model when I got my phone. Never had any running problems with it at all except that the battery-life is arse unless you don't use it. Maybe I'm just lucky.

I just don't like touch-screens much

If you're having trouble with battery life, I highly recommend downloading the free version of Juice Defender. Likewise turning off your data antenna 3g/4g, wifi, bluetooth, etc will greatly improve battery life. Lastly, I don't know what you've heard about task killer applications or if you even run one, but they tend to drain the battery faster and don't help with performance improvement.

[Tero]

Both iOS and WP7 will he far superior and consistent ux because of the control that the developers have on the UI and the hardware.

Android has and will have too many problems with operators being able to fuck with the UI with their own desired layers. Most of them are quite frankly horrible.

Also there will be debate in the future about the role of Motorola now that Google owns it.

The per cent of users who are willing to root their phone is miniscule where most people really do want their phines to work straight out of the box. Android is currently winning by number of users but I'd bet that iOS users are more happier with the product. Despite what you guys think of Apple.

[fox]

I bought a Nexus S last year after doing some research as I wanted a phone that ran with the least carrier-specific bullshit I could find. And I am fairly happy with it. Out of the box, it worked. I've had no problems with app compatability. Upgrading to ICS was a piece of cake, although they completely fucked up the clock in ICS compared to Gingerbread. It's a good, solid device.

That being said, everything in that article is 100% true and even as a mostly outside observer who has limited professional contact with them, Android is on its way to being what PC's were in the mid 90's when hardware and software would only run on certain platforms and certain games would only run on certain boxes and fuck it the sound never worked right. My coworker has an HTC Evo and if you told me it was running a completely different OS because of all the bullshit HTC has thrown on there, I'd totally believe it. Simple apps, *including core business apps* like Exchange plugin simply do not work as advertised on his device.

For all the Android fanboys and Microsoft fanboys whipping on Apple for producing consumer devices, IOS devices are FAR better suited to exist in a business environment today than Android devices for the forseeable future from an "ability to centrally manage it" standpoint.

Android is a very immature OS with a lot of growing pains. If they can't figure out how to get a hold of their OS and take it back from the carriers and makers, they are going to be in a world of trouble. They might be able to print money right now with Android devices, but it wasn't long ago that Blackberry and Palm had the stranglehold on the smartphone market, and Google should remember that.

[JGNRN]

I've got a HTC Desire HD and have had no problems with it at all. I'm running 2.3.5 and will be getting upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich sometime later this year.

I bought my phone outright rather than going through a carrier who load it up with even more unnecessary crap and refuse to release updates.

[Koma]

I use an iPhone because I think less is more. Why have a bunch of options I don't need?
However, I have yelled quite a few times at iTunes. Updates often not go as smoothly as they should (on Win anyway).

For work I have some Android device on 2.3. I never really used it except for calls. The OS is ugly as shit.

[contrarian messiah]

3 days with an iphone after nearly 2 years apart..... oh how could i ever leave thee?

[ratchetjaw]

as a droid owner since they launched I can agree with this... it works awesome for the most part but it's not a refined , seemless experience.. except for native google apps ( gmail, docs, music, all awesome!)

As an itunes hater it's doubtful iphone is in my future, but I am definitely interested in the new Windows phone os...

This post has been edited by ratchetjaw: Mar 27 2012, 6:00 AM

[Mike P]

As an itunes hater

Maybe a bit off-topic, but what's to hate about iTunes?

I've heard a lot of people say so, but as a non-fanboy that only uses it to sync local music folders to an old iPod 5G, I don't get it.

Sure it takes forfuckingever to open, and there are a number of little quirks that I work around to make things go the way I want them to, but I have yet to run into any dealbreakers.

[fox]

The only thing I don't like about iTunes is how it is terrible with moved or duplicate files. I wish they'd done better with that. Otherwise its a great product.

[ratchetjaw]

Maybe a bit off-topic, but what's to hate about iTunes?

It runs like garbage on a pc.. It does a horrific job of finding cover art and songs tags, it wants to update every time you launch it, it is super restrictive with libraries, and multiple ipods...

It's just a general pain in the ass...and it's the "hub" of the apple ecosystem... keeping me from using any current iproducts...

I maintain my wifes and kids ipod touches on itunes and it's never a good experience

This post has been edited by ratchetjaw: Mar 28 2012, 10:45 AM

[defaced]

For all the reasons RatchetJaw mentioned, iTunes is the single biggest reason why I won't own an Apple product. I wouldn't mind having a 160 gig iPod Classic, but I sure as fuck am not using iTunes to manage it.

I agree with the Android article. Going into buying the original Droid, I made sure I got the "flagship" device of the time to ensure I got updates throughout it's life. Since that bricked on me, and I have a Droid 2 now, I can say that I'd rather not have the updates and have the performance of the phone when it was new. Trim the fat, make it ugly, but for fuck's sake make it fast and reliable. I regularly get lockups, restarts, and other assorted bullshit. I have considered going to custom ROM route, but none that I have found seem to be mature enough to run and since my phone isn't getting any younger, I don't think anyone is going to make one. Now with the current "top" phones being too big to keep in my pocket, I may tell the smart phone world to fuck off or keep my Droid 2 till it bricks.

[Blackstar]

For all the reasons RatchetJaw mentioned, iTunes is the single biggest reason why I won't own an Apple product. I wouldn't mind having a 160 gig iPod Classic, but I sure as fuck am not using iTunes to manage it.

I agree with the Android article. Going into buying the original Droid, I made sure I got the "flagship" device of the time to ensure I got updates throughout it's life. Since that bricked on me, and I have a Droid 2 now, I can say that I'd rather not have the updates and have the performance of the phone when it was new. Trim the fat, make it ugly, but for fuck's sake make it fast and reliable. I regularly get lockups, restarts, and other assorted bullshit. I have considered going to custom ROM route, but none that I have found seem to be mature enough to run and since my phone isn't getting any younger, I don't think anyone is going to make one. Now with the current "top" phones being too big to keep in my pocket, I may tell the smart phone world to fuck off or keep my Droid 2 till it bricks.

Cyanogenmod officially supports the Droid 2. It's one of the most acclaimed ROMs for Android, so I'm not sure where you got the idea that there were no "mature" ROMs for your device.

[Mike P]

Maybe a bit off-topic, but what's to hate about iTunes?

It runs like garbage on a pc.. It does a horrific job of finding cover art and songs tags, it wants to update every time you launch it, it is super restrictive with libraries, and multiple ipods...

It takes forever to load, but afterward appears to run fine on my Win7 PC. And like the nerd I am I hand-add cover art and hand-edit the tags, so I don't run into that issue. Nor do I hit snags with multiple devices since I only have the one old clunker. As for updates, I just turn the automatic check off.

I actually enjoy the way it's laid out and the nuggets of functionality it offers, like assigning EQ values to songs that still don't play clean at flat, or trimming the ends without editing the file, defining sort values in addition to display values (always a nerdy plus)... they've thought of most everything at this point. Except marking songs for deletion from the device, I would love that functionality. But otherwise, there's nothing that I want it to do that it doesn't. I can't say the same for the Zune or Winamp software.

Frankly, the only thing I don't like about the iPod/iTunes experience is the atrocious shuffle algorithm.

[Sloppopotamus]

I've found that itunes works best when I let it do most of the work.

I used to have it set to "manually" do everything, and I would sit there and drag and drop shit because I wanted total control, and it was fucking pointless.

I still use Tag&Rename ( - best $25 I ever spent on media-related software) for file naming, tags, and album art... but, other than that, I have iTunes set to autosynch via wifi... and since I have 100+ g's of media and only 64g's on my phone, I have it set to only sync the songs that are "checked" so that makes it easy for me to go in and check/uncheck shit I want/don't want on my iPhone.

It's easy... and quick... I like the good better than the bad. And I haven't even tried some of the weird shit Piker talked about. Crazy.

Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but what I DON'T like, is that when you have it set to sync everything, your phone is almost completely locked down when it's plugged into any other computer... you can't even change song sort order in iTunes.

What I mean is... when I plug my phone into my computer at work, I get the list of all the tunes on my iPhone, but I can't even sort them to look for shit. Sort order stays in whatever sort order you left it when you synced it last. I can search... or I can shuffle and just let it rip and listen to everything... but they remove pretty much all other functionality.

Eh... it's not THAT bad... it's just an annoying.

Experts: Is it possible to use iTunes to connect to your home "media center" up as a server and use iTunes on any computer to synch and manage your library via the internet?

EDIT: Nevermind... I need to look into home sharing I guess.

Anyway... other than the weekly 50MB updates with restarts and the clunky interface, I'm pretty happy with it too, now that I've given in and let it control me.

This post has been edited by Sloppopotamus: Mar 29 2012, 7:33 AM

[defaced]

Cyanogenmod officially supports the Droid 2. It's one of the most acclaimed ROMs for Android, so I'm not sure where you got the idea that there were no "mature" ROMs for your device.

All of the Droid 2 Cyanogenmod ROMs are "nightly" builds from mid November; no stable release builds. So yea, it "supports" it, but the verbiage they use to describe a nightly build is more like "alpha" release to my eyes. Another ROM I looked at (sorry, I don't remember the name) didn't have some things working (camera maybe...? I don't remember). Not the biggest deal, but I don't want to get in a situation where I trade one set of problems for another.

[Swampy666]

The fragmentation of the hardware is a bit more difficult to do something about, but it seems you either you have Apple's "dictatorship" of all phones having the exact same hardware, or you have competition in the market to deliver the best Android-phone.

You can look at it as dictatorship or you can just, as a consumer, think "does this do what I need it to do with a mininal amount of fuss?"

Apple doesn't really require the same exact hardware - given that their OS is supported over several generations of iPod/iPhone/iPad. Yes, the scope of platform is limited but the same could be said for those that wished to adhere to the android standard.

I have an iPhone and the wife has and iphone and iPad but it's because it serves our needs, well my needs given that I'm the guy that fixes tech stuff in the house. I won't buy a Mac or other laptop/desktop product from Apple because there are other alternatives at a mere fraction of the price that work just as well. Until those that offer phones/tablets with android come up with a less wishy washy approach to what gets the latest updates, OS revisions, blahdy blahdy blah, then I'll be sticking with Apple because you know pretty much that even your old shit is still supported and updated.

Small things that fit in your pocket shouldn't be complicated.

[Tero]

I don't think the hardware fragmentation would be a problem if Google would have a say about it. Windows Phone has fragmented hw but Microsoft has a huge say about the specs. So you know it's going to stay in atleast some sort of control.

[Mike P]

Windows Phone has fragmented hw but Microsoft has a huge say about the specs. So you know it's going to stay in atleast some sort of control.

Yeah, but now that they've loosened up the lower end of the RAM spec for Tango, things are gonna get hairy.

[Fitz]

Has anyone else downloaded the Amazon App Store for Android? I haven't really delved too deep into it but I like the fact that I can buy some some apps (e.g. Angry Birds) that are only available for free with those annoying ads from Google Play.

[Blackstar]

Has anyone else downloaded the Amazon App Store for Android? I haven't really delved too deep into it but I like the fact that I can buy some some apps (e.g. Angry Birds) that are only available for free with those annoying ads from Google Play.

Basically for every $1.00 USD spent in Apple's app market, 89 cents is spent in Amazon's app market, and 23 cents in Google's. I thought that was interesting, but I also remembered how many apps are free in Google Play because of ad revenue (which most ads can be disabled with a free app called AdFree). More info about the picture here.

[Fitz]

http://www.pcworld.com/article/254304/the_...pdate_trap.html

The Android Update Trap

Updating your version of the Android operating system can cause more problems than it solves. Be careful what you wish for.

By Jared Newman Apr 23, 2012 6:00 PM

The Samsung Galaxy S II was supposed to be David Petty’s dream phone. He'd watched the smartphone market for a couple of years, and finally pulled the trigger on his first Android handset when AT&T launched the Galaxy S II last October. For the first few months, it was perfect.
Everything changed when AT&T delivered Android 2.3.6--a minor update that included some tweaks to the user interface, but little else--to Petty’s phone in January.

Suddenly, his phone wouldn’t last more than 6 hours on a charge, even with light use. As Petty learned from fellow Android users online, a Wi-Fi bug was thrashing the Galaxy S II’s battery life.

“It’s at a point where, if I have Wi-Fi on, I have a battery widget on the front screen, and I can watch the battery drop, just sitting here,” Petty, an environmental researcher based in Indianapolis, told PCWorld.

Petty isn’t alone in his problems, and the Galaxy S II isn’t the only Android phone burned by a bad update.

Here is a sampling of complaints we found in various online forums about Android phone OS updates gone wrong:

Some HTC Droid Incredible users encountered problems with Android 2.3.4, including battery drain, memory shortages, and deleted contacts.
A major slowdown in 2D graphics plagued the original Motorola Droid after an update to Android 2.1.
An update for the Samsung Fascinate caused random shutdowns for some users.
Some HTC Desire S users on T-Mobile reported signal loss after an update to Android 2.3.5 with Sense 3.0.
Users of HTC's Evo 4G reported internal memory leaks after updating to Android 2.3.
Some overseas users of HTC’s Incredible S had trouble receiving text messages in a timely manner with Android 2.3.3.
In a huge thread on Google’s support forums, users complain that voice search randomly starts up on its own with Android 2.3.3 and Android 2.3.4 on Samsung’s Nexus S.
Users of the unlocked Galaxy Nexus have reported signal-loss problems with Android

PCWorld counted 13 instances where phone makers or wireless carriers have suspended an update due to serious bugs. And that’s only part of the issue. In many more cases, wireless carriers and phone makers are slow to notice problems after releasing updates--or they don’t notice them at all, leaving their customers in the dark.
It’s a hassle that Petty came to know firsthand, as he tried to bring his phone’s problem to Samsung's attention. After making two calls to technical support representatives, both of whom said that they had never heard of the Galaxy S II’s battery issues (despite widespread complaints in Android user forums), Petty mailed a letter to Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Telecommunications America.

“To have suffered this issue for this long, let alone have it ignored or denied by support, is intolerable,” Petty wrote in his letter, dated February 13, 2012. Sohn never responded, and Samsung declined to comment for this story. (HTC, LG, and Motorola would not comment, either. Google declined an interview and promised to issue a prepared statement, but never sent one despite several requests from PCWorld.)

Why Android Update Problems Happen

No software platform is completely bug-free. Given the sheer amount of code involved, and the need to update that code to stay competitive, glitches are inevitable with any operating system. (Users of Apple’s iPhone 3G, for instance, reported sluggish performance after updating to iOS 4, a problem that took Apple more than three months to fix. Some owners of the iPhone 4 have also complained about performance issues with iOS 5.)

Android, however, has two particular factors working against it. First, unlike iOS, which is designed for one kind of smartphone, Android must accommodate a wide variety of phone models, with potentially different screen sizes, screen resolutions, processors, RAM, storage capacities, and other specs.

Second, wireless carriers and phone makers tend to modify Android with their own user interfaces and software, complicating the issue. The companies enjoy much more latitude with Android than they do with the iPhone or with Windows Phone, so features found on one Android phone--such as Motorola’s battery-saving Smart Actions or HTC’s Sense widgets--may not be present on another. Although such tweaks can improve the user experience, they also put an extra burden on phone makers and wireless carriers to try to keep the software running smoothly.
PCWorld spoke with members of XDA-Developers, a community of hackers who modify the Android software for their own phones--and who often work to undo the damage that bad updates cause. Several of these developers say that when phone makers and wireless carriers meddle with Android, they risk wreaking havoc on users’ phones, even if those phones haven’t been rooted or modified in any way.

“From what I have seen, and from talking to other users and developers, a lot of the problems that users have come from the customizations that the carriers want to put into the ROM,” says Mark Dietz, an XDA-Developers member who specializes in Samsung hardware. Carriers tend to preload their phones with software that users can’t remove (known as “bloatware”), as well as other monitoring software that can introduce bugs, Dietz says.

Another developer, who uses the screen name “attn1,” agrees that companies’ modifications to Android can lead to more bugs. Phone makers are under pressure to develop and update their software quickly, says attn1 (who answered questions by email but declined to give a real name), and as a result the companies may take shortcuts, such as using deprecated APIs or performing inadequate

Fared Adib, Sprint’s vice president of product development--and the only wireless carrier executive who agreed to an interview for this article--defended his company’s testing process for Android phones. Each new software update is tested in a lab, and then it goes out for field testing by about 1000 employees, Adib says. Sprint also rolls its updates out slowly, starting with about 10,000 users at a time, so that the carrier can put the brakes on an update if users report critical bugs.
Adib says that the number of Android devices on the market can lead to a perception of more problems with software updates, but he acknowledges that the carrier can’t stop every bug from getting through. “It’s almost impossible for a carrier or for an OEM … to 100 percent test every use case of what we think the device will see once it receives that update out in the field,” Adib says.

Undo the Damage

Getting a bad update might not be so tragic if wireless carriers fixed problems quickly; but as many Android enthusiasts know, waiting for new software releases can be a test of patience.

That’s why Jimmy Bellerose of Kissimmee, Florida, wasted no time replacing his Samsung Fascinate on Verizon Wireless after a disastrous update to Android 2.3 last December. “Battery life dropped, and the phone would lock up, so I would have to reset it,” Bellerose says. “It would vibrate in my pocket, and I would think I had a message, but when I pulled it out, it turned out it was resetting itself.”

He assumed that either Verizon’s bloatware or Samsung’s TouchWiz interface was to blame. Bellerose then bought a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. He says he has had no problems with that handset so far.

In many cases users can resist updating their phones, but at a price: The phone may pester the user with notifications and reminders to download the latest software. Besides, refusing an update means missing out on new features--or, perhaps, other bug fixes--so staying with an old version of Android isn't necessarily the best

The challenges in updating Android are entwined with a broader issue for the Android platform: Google, phone makers, and wireless service providers all have a hand in updating and testing Android phones. That means users might wait months to receive new software as it works its way through the system. For instance, Android 4.0, nicknamed Ice Cream Sandwich, was released in December 2011--but as of this writing, only 3 percent of Android devices are running it.
Andy Dodd, another active XDA-Developers member, believes that wireless carriers are a major bottleneck for the upgrade process. Dodd, who has been following the Galaxy S II battery-drain issue closely, notes that Samsung has already delivered a fix for the carrier-unlocked international version of its phones, while the AT&T version remains unpatched.

“There’s no sign that AT&T is even aware that there’s a problem, because I see people just getting offered replacement batteries when they complain,” Dodd says. Given that the Galaxy S II's problems began months ago, AT&T is likely aware of the situation by now.

Even when a problem is identified, wireless carriers may not deliver a fix right away, as they run the phone through more testing. Sprint’s Adib says that the carrier can correct some problems in a day or two, but others can take weeks, especially if a security issue is involved, or if just a few users are having problems. Another carrier source told PCWorld that some issues are so severe that they require a restart of the entire testing process, which can last between 8 and 12 weeks. During the testing process, Google may issue its own updates, which also sets the process back.

“We evaluate the impact any software upgrade could have on the customer experience. The testing process can be shorter or longer, depending on the device,” AT&T spokesperson Emily Edmonds said in a statement.

In other words, be prepared to wait a while.

What to Do When Updates Fail

If a bad update makes your Android experience unbearable, it can be hard to know where to turn. Some users air their grievances on Google’s official help forums, but that’s not always the best place to troubleshoot, given that Google isn’t responsible for what phone makers and wireless carriers do to the phones they sell.

Instead, you can seek solace in online forums such as XDA-Developers.com and AndroidForums.com, where users tend to be more tech-savvy. Search those sites for the name of your phone and the problems it’s having, and you might find forum threads with possible fixes--or at the very least, a place to commiserate. Some wireless carriers keep an eye on forums and blogs, so the more people making noise, the better your chances of getting a fix.
Ultimately, your wireless carrier may be your best resource. In the United States, carriers are usually the ones who deliver the updates, and if you visit a store, you may be able to get the phone reverted to an earlier version of Android, or obtain a replacement phone if all else fails. Reaching out to a company on Twitter might also help to call attention to your problems, but you're not likely to receive personalized support that way.

Of course, enthusiast Android users might suggest rooting a buggy phone to install entirely new firmware. But for average customers like David Petty, becoming a software hacker isn't a viable option. “I'm a fairly decent technology person,” Petty says, “but that's kind of where I stop.”

[Faith of Judas]

Or, just root it.
because voiding your warranty is an empty threat when your warranty doesn't cover any of the damages likely to be caused by not rooting the phone.

[Fitz]

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406991,00.asp

Why Android Fragmentation Is Still a Problem
ARTICLE DATE : July 11, 2012
By Jamie Lendino
Google's Android 4.1 Jelly Bean marks a turning point for Android devices. Prior to its unveiling, Android phones were already succeeding, of course, by nearly a two-to-one margin in U.S. sales compared with the iPhone, at last check. But this latest OS version is a significant leap in performance and overall smoothness.

Overall, we love it. In our review, we awarded it 4.5 stars and our Editors' Choice award over iOS 5.1.1—and on its own merits, not just because Android phones come in a larger variety of hardware configurations and on more carriers.

But Android still has two main issues as a whole: Carrier-installed bloatware and OS fragmentation.

The Bane of Our Existence
Bloatware exists because phone vendors like Samsung and Motorola haven't been able to convince carriers to approve devices without it, even though Apple did accomplish exactly that over than five years ago with the iPhone. Buy an Android phone that's not an unlocked Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and you'll be stuck with 10 or more apps that try and force you to sign up for additional monthly fees, or force you into carrier-approved app stores and services that are usually worse than alternative third-party offerings. You can't remove these programs to free up space, either, or even delete their icons, unlike with a PC.

So that's bloatware. The other problem is fragmentation, which exists because carriers hold up Android OS updates for months at a time, or because phone vendors may or may not decide to code an OS update for an existing phone in the first place. Both carriers and phone vendors would rather sell you a new phone instead. Since Google won't step in and lay down the law, this problem continues unabated.

Apple's iOS has neither of these problems. Carriers sell iPhones, so none of the usual excuses hold up about qualifying OS updates for the "best user experience," or about having to retest each device all over again as a brand new phone on each carrier's network. After all, when an iPhone OS update comes out, unless you've got a phone that's already several years old, you can install it and run it the moment it's available, and enjoy most (if not all) of the new features.

But here's the thing: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean doesn't have any problems out of the box either. It's not Android's fault. Both issues—bloatware and OS fragmentation—are entirely the fault of wireless carriers and phone manufacturers.

Incidentally, whenever I write about Android fragmentation, I get a sizable number of comments saying something along the lines of how it's not really a problem, that not everyone needs new features, and that I'm making a big deal out of nothing. Or, my favorite, which is that Apple is paying me to make Android fragmentation into a problem. That's all crazy, of course, and falls somewhere along the line of "you're saying something bad about my favorite OS, so therefore, there must be something wrong with you." A Samsung representative also questioned publicly whether I think it's a problem because I'm a journalist who tests a lot of phones, and that the average person wouldn't ever run into these issues, or even care about an OS update.

In fact, Whitson Gordon over at Lifehacker makes a great point: If you're sick of hearing about Android fragmentation, just buy a Galaxy Nexus. I said as much in my review of Jelly Bean, right at the end. I support that idea entirely. But the thing is, to be absolutely safe, you can't even just get any Galaxy Nexus; you have to get the unlocked, HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus, and switch to AT&T or T-Mobile. Because otherwise, you could still end up waiting months, as Galaxy Nexus owners Verizon found out the hard way, even for minor updates like 4.0.4 to Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Case Of the Crashing Apps
Most people with Android phones never get to take advantage of the latest features because of Android fragmentation. But let's say you don't care about getting free new OS features, since it seems like there are quite a few of you out there. I'd argue you should care, because today's phones are computers that can easily run new OS versions, and why wouldn't you want free new features, improved performance, and a nicer user interface? But whatever—let's put that aside for a moment. The real reason why fragmentation matters is app reliability.

Example: I just finished writing our Best Nexus 7 Apps story, which was a lot of fun to put together. (Short version: Grab a bunch of those apps along with the Nexus 7 tablet and you won't miss the iPad, even a little.) But I also ran into a troubling problem—one that's been known for a while but is still amazing.

Continue Reading: App Compatibility, and Where To Go From Here>

When buying Android apps, there's a 15-minute refund policy in the Google Play app store. This isn't news; Google reduced the return policy window from 24 hours to 15 minutes a while back, and was even sued for it. Google has a 15-minute refund policy because there are way too many possible combinations of Android hardware, OS versions, and UI overlays out there. Google says it's so you can evaluate whether the app does what it's supposed to do, but with just 15 minutes, it's really so you can make sure the app even runs correctly at all.

While working on the story, I bought a copy of N.O.V.A. 3, which the Play store told me I could send to the Nexus 7. So I clicked the Purchase button, bought the app, and installed it, which took only a few seconds. However, as Android owners know, that's deceptive. The moment I tapped on the icon to start playing, the Nexus 7 said that it must download the actual game data, which was 1.7GB, and began to do so.

You can guess where this is going. For the next 15 minutes, I sat and watched the progress bar slowly move, as our lab's broadband connection downloaded the massive 1.7GB data package, in a race against the 15-minute return window. The download finally finished, which automatically starts the app—except that it bombed out back to the home screen. I tried running it manually; no dice. I started a few other apps, all of which worked fine, but this one was a no-go.

It turns out the data package download took 16 minutes to complete the full download. I went into Settings > My Apps, tapped on N.O.V.A. 3, and only saw options to Open or Uninstall the app. The Refund button was missing, because it was already too late. The least Google can do here is make the 15-minute window start when you fire up the app for the first time, and not just from when the initial tiny download completes.

No, Crashing Apps Aren't Normal
But that still wouldn't fix the larger problem. Regular people aren't like tech journalists, since regular people buy one phone every two years. But they're still stuck with that phone unless they want to pay a $350 cancellation fee, or spend $600 on a new device instead of the usual $100 or $200. (Actually, that still includes tech journalists like me; no one buys my personal phone for me either. I'm just as stuck as anyone else.)

Regardless, many Android phone owners still get frustrated when they can't upgrade their phone's OS. Many are stuck with apps that crash all the time, or with new versions of apps that used to work but now no longer do, because the developers are QA'ing on Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean instead of Froyo or Gingerbread. And enthusiasts always look longingly at the next version of an OS and wonder when they can get it.

Of course, Android phones are selling incredibly well now. Clearly, people aren't walking into cell phone stores thinking "Agh! Fragmentation!" and running for the hills at the first sight of Android. I totally get that. But we hear from these frustrated people all the time, and they are not happy. Even if they're not the majority of Android users, that doesn't mean it's not a problem.

As my colleague Sascha Segan pointed out already, there's no guarantee if or when any existing devices will get Android 4.1—even from Motorola, which Google now owns. After several months, this week the Samsung Galaxy Note finally got last year's OS update, to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich," right after Google released Android 4.1. So the Galaxy Note is still behind even now.

From here, I can only see the situation getting worse. Non-committal statements from phone vendors about "considering" possible Jelly Bean upgrades are already beginning to trickle into our offices as we research new devices. I'm tired of telling readers looking for phone recommendations that iOS devices tend to work more reliably, with fewer bugs, than Android devices, even though we often prefer Android devices and tend to award them Editors' Choice more often on their respective carriers.

The solution is simple: Android devices need to all run the same base OS whenever possible. Vendors can install UI overlays to differentiate their phones, but they need to QA them like any other app, and then get the new Android OS out the door to customers anyway. Google knows this is a problem, even though it denied it in the past. Google tried and failed to fix fragmentation exactly once and failed miserably. I don't care if it's Google's fault, the carriers' fault, or if the phone vendors themselves are to blame. The conclusion is the same: The time to fix Android for good is now.

[Warlock]

I use my phone for weird stuff, like making phone calls and texting people.
Works fine.

I really don't need another computer to fuck around with.

[Fitz]

Ok.

[JGNRN]

The iPhone had a ton of problems when it did it's last update too. Every phone and OS does. It's not like Apple transitioned perfectly from one to the other with no miscues or anything.

I don't get the "mine is better, fuck the other" attitude from people. Essentially they both do the same thing. Who gives a shit? On other message boards now people are carrying on with this The Avengers vs The Dark Knight Rises shit like they're sporting teams.

[Fitz]

The iPhone had a ton of problems when it did it's last update too. Every phone and OS does. It's not like Apple transitioned perfectly from one to the other with no miscues or anything.

I don't get the "mine is better, fuck the other" attitude from people. Essentially they both do the same thing. Who gives a shit? On other message boards now people are carrying on with this The Avengers vs The Dark Knight Rises shit like they're sporting teams.

I have an Android phone. I like it and I like Android but I think there's structural flaws to the way that Google allows wireless carriers and phone manufacturers to have too much control over the OS (tons of bloatware, allowing them to release phones with outdated versions of Android) and doesn't require them to keep existing phones reasonably up to date with the newest revs of Android.

[Zevo]

Damn... Am I going to have to quote Louis CK to all of you whiners?

[MoRbId{}MiRaGe]

My Samsung Transform Ultra (Boost Mobile, Android powered) is great. It's really great for people who don't want to spend a ton of $$$. Got mine on sale for $180 (after taxes), but NO contract! Only have to pay $60 a month which includes insurance AND unlimited data usage. Boost Mobile also has the awesome shrinkage plan, which means after every 6 on-time payments, your bill goes down $5 a month. So if give them 18 on-time payments, my phone bill will only be $45 a month, while still having the insurance and unlimited data usage/minutes/texting. How cool is that!? It never lags, is super fast and has everything I need (and want). The camera works great (even has a flash) and I don't have a single complaint (so far).

My mom has an iPhone 4s and while it is really "slick looking" and cool, it's way overpriced (imo). Really small screen and doesn't do too much more than my phone. The contracts and overpriced monthly rates just aren't worth it to me.

And I love having a touch screen phone while also having a sliding qwerty keyboard which is a huge convenience for me and makes typing/texting easier than hell. The screen is pretty big but the phone itself is not so big that it makes it uncomfortable to have in your pants pocket. I couldn't be happier with a phone



This post has been edited by MoRbId{}MiRaGe: Jul 14 2012, 3:07 PM

[Blackstar]

(Boost Mobile, Android powered)

WHERE YOU AT DAWG?